Crane collapse at Florida’s Merritt Island leaves two construction workers dead

The two workers were taken to the hospital, where they later died from their injuries, officials said.

Two workers were killed in Florida after a crane collapse (PA Archive)

Two construction workers were killed Wednesday when a crane collapsed at the construction site of a new hospital on Merritt Island, a Florida peninsula, according to reports.

The crane was over the unfinished Health First’s Cape Canaveral Hospital at 255 Borman Dr. when it collapsed around 2 p.m., Spectrum News reported.

The two workers were taken to a nearby hospital, where they died from their injuries, Brevard County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Tod Goodyear told Fox 35. Their names have not been released pending family notification.

Local weather reports indicated it’s been a rainy and thunderstorm-filled day in Central Florida. Brevard County recorded strong wind gusts between 50-60 mph on Wednesday.

News 6 meteorologists reported there was a 58 mph wind gust at the time of the accident.

Authorities have not shared an official cause for the crane’s collapse.

The hospital, which will replace an existing Cape Canaveral Hospital in Cocoa Beach, is slated to open in 2027, Florida Today reported. Construction began on the new $410 million hospital in March 2024.